Danton

Danton arrives back in Paris in the cold spring of 1794 and is greeted by hungry, dispirited crowds who hail him as a hero. Robespierre watches from his flat as the people's praise for Danton sharpens the political rift between them. The scene establishes the mounting tension between personal loyalties and revolutionary power.

From his flat, Robespierre instructs Héron to destroy Desmoulins' printing operation, where pro-Danton circulars are being published. The move demonstrates Robespierre's willingness to suppress Danton's influence. The action heightens the sense that political combat is being fought with censorship and force.

While Robespierre is attended by his barber, Saint-Just urges him to have Danton guillotined. Robespierre resists, arguing that he does not wish to see his former ally erased. The exchange signals the personal and political conflict simmering within the leadership.

Robespierre attends a meeting of the Committee of Public Safety where other members push for the removal of Danton. He hesitates, aware of Danton's popularity with ordinary people. The committee's pressure pushes Robespierre toward a decisive move against his rival.

Before the National Convention's sitting, General Westermann discusses a coup with Danton, who disapproves and bets on popular support instead. He asks Bourdon to denounce Héron, leading to Héron's arrest. The episode showcases the volatile alliances shaping the crisis.

That night, Danton invites Robespierre to an elaborate private dinner, hoping to sway him with wine and persuasion. Robespierre refuses to join the scheme, and as he leaves, Danton encounters armed men who are part of Westermann's coup plans and again declines to join them. The moment underscores how factions and loyalties fracture at all levels.

Robespierre visits Desmoulins, who is furious about his destroyed print shop and refuses to listen to him. Desmoulins' wife pleads for her husband to live, hoping Robespierre can still be persuaded. Robespierre leaves empty-handed as the personal and political consequences deepen.

Robespierre returns to the Committee of Public Safety and orders a warrant for the arrest of Danton, Desmoulins, Westermann and several associates. The action marks a turning point as the political alliance fractures become legal jeopardy. The arrests provoke outrage and fear within the revolutionary leadership.

Danton agrees to be arrested, choosing not to inflame further bloodshed and trusting that his oratory and the people's affection will offer protection. Bourdon, now aligned with Robespierre, helps shift the balance of support. The scene moves the actors toward a dramatic trial.

The National Convention meets in the morning, outraged by the arrests and the threat to republican order. Robespierre defends the actions by labeling Danton an enemy of the Republic. Bourdon's switch in allegiance strengthens Robespierre's grip on power.

In the Revolutionary Tribunal, the trial of Danton, Desmoulins and their allies opens amid the irregularities of hastily arranged proceedings. Danton's interruptions irritate the prosecutor Fouquier, who laments the lack of solid grounds for conviction. The trial reveals how politics and legal process have been fused for political ends.

On the day after the trial, Fouquier informs Robespierre that Danton's interruptions have turned the proceedings into a farce. Robespierre issues a decree that anyone who speaks out of turn will be removed from court, and the accused are soon bundled out as the guilty verdict is read. The verdict seals the political fate of the defendants.

The day before their execution, Danton sinks into depression, not fearing death but lamenting that he has not truly served the people. His confidence wanes as he confronts the collapse of his revolutionary project. The mood in the prison chamber is heavy with impending catastrophe.

Danton, Desmoulins, and Westermann are paraded through silent crowds to the scaffold and guillotined. Robespierre's long-held tension fractures into shock, and Saint-Just urges him toward dictatorship. Robespierre recoils, declaring that dictatorship would destroy democracy and that the Revolution's noble ideals have been fatally compromised.

The film ends on Robespierre's horror at the possibility of becoming a dictator, recognizing that such power would erase the revolution's democracy. Saint-Just's provocations underscore a dangerous turn toward authoritarian rule. The Declaration's ideals are shown as irreversibly compromised in the wake of the executions.